DS Covenant
The Way of White A covenant that regroups the followers of the Great Lord Gwyn, seeking to kindle bonfires in order to sustain the power of the gods. The very first covenant available to beginning players, and one that makes multiplayer matchmaking easier among members of the Way of White. Petrus of Thorolund A cleric from Thorolund, accompanying the Princess Reah on an Undead mission through Lordran. Allows the player to join the Way of White Covenant, and sells a few basic miracles. At first, he seems polite if haughty. He asks you to keep your distance, but does give you a coin to show that it isn't personal. But as the story continues, he starts showing his true colors: he eventually abandons Reah and her other two bodyguards in the Tomb of the Giants, knowing that she would potentially fail in her mission because she was inexperienced and of high-class. After you've rescued Reah from the Tomb, he will murder her if given the opportunity. He's pretty much geared to venture into the Catacombs when you meet him. Given his destination is quite hazardous, he'd have to be. In the cut content, Petrus was apparently going to be a Human Sacrifice to a necromancer and can be rescued by the player, after which he can teach them miracles at Firelink Shrine. He seems to be genuinely surprised when the player attacks him after he murders Reah. He won't hesitate to tell you he'd rather keep a distance from Undeads like you, and his overall speech mannerisms are quite condescending. After you speak with Lautrec several times, then talk to Petrus, the cleric will reveal he abandoned Reah and her followers in the Tomb of the Giants, all because he loathed her status as a Blue Blood, thus dismissing her as an incompetent purebred. For the Chosen Undead and Reah, but in a dark, twisted way. He mocks the player by gloating over his betrayal and abandonment of Reah in the Tomb of the Giants, saying that she must be crying all alone. He then adds in a lewd manner that, in her state, the player can do with her as they please. If the player attacks Petrus after he's successfully murdered Reah, he says that the player will make a fine Hollow, and they can be together with Reah in the infernal depths. Reah/Rhea of Thorolund The Princess of Thorolund, an inexperienced cleric on an Undead mission through Lordran to learn the Rite of Kindling. Allows the player to join the Way of White Covenant if they didn't take Petrus's offer; she also shares some of the spells sold by Petrus, thankfully at a cheaper price. She and her two bodyguards only spawn in Firelink Shrine once you defeat the Capra Demon, after which they, along with Petrus, will shortly depart for the Catacombs. She's a lot friendlier towards the player after they save her from the Tomb of the Giants. Petrus' betrayal, along with her two followers turning Hollow really did a number on her during the story. Her overall appearance is meant to evoke memories of Maiden Astraea from Demon's Souls. Their names even sound similar. Somewhat. She starts off uncomfortable around the Player Character, but warms up after he/she saves her in the Tomb of Giants. She's a princess of the nation of Thorolund. In a way. She becomes enamored with the player character (regardless of gender) after they save her in the Tomb of the Giants and will express happiness and relief at seeing them safe whenever they come and speak to her. Oddly enough, some of Petrus and even Lautrec's dialogue seem to imply that the player character himself/herself has an interest of sorts in Reah, or at least, that's how they see it. Unfortunately, nothing ever comes out of it, since Reah either dies at Petrus's hands or goes Hollow in the Duke's Archives. Aside from killing her as you would to any other NPC, once you rescue her from the Tomb of the Giants, Reah's sidequest can end in two ways: either Petrus will assassinate her if you don't immediately talk to her in the Undead Parish after the rescue; or once you buy all of her one-time inventory, she will be kidnapped for experimentation in the jail of the Duke's Archives and becomes a Hollow, forcing you to kill her in self-defense. It is possible for her to survive the game simply by killing Petrus before he can assassinate her and then not buying her last Miracle so she doesn't get kidnapped, but that's basically just leaving her sidequest incomplete. Dislikes strangers and only warms up to the player after saving her in the Tomb of the Giants. Reah: I do not warm easily to unfamiliar faces. The bonfire below is so frequented, it makes it difficult... I have lost all those who were close to me. She's clad in white robes, making her unique among the Thorolund crew. Vince & Nico The two bodyguards and former classmates of Reah of Thorolund. They, along with their princess and Petrus, are tasked with the mission of finding the Rite of Kindling in order to accomplish their covenant's main objective. Nico wields the Crescent Axe, one of the treasures of the Way of White. Interestingly enough, Patches sells some too, so it's not a unique weapon. Then again, he hates clerics with a passion, and he enjoys kicking them into pits and stripping their corpses. Vince wields a standard Mace. Nico could probably be understood by the player if he chose not to mumble under his breath all the time. Subverted with Vince, who initially acts rude towards the player the first time they talk. If the player talks to him again, he starts responding more politely. Never seen separately from each other. Not even when fighting them as Hollows in the Tomb of the Giants. The next time you encounter them, they already turned Hollow and Reah pleads with you to kill them. Paladin Leeroy A paladin knight available for summoning against the Pinwheel boss in the Catacombs. He later invades the player deep into the Tomb of the Giants. His Grant is one of the three treasures of the Way of White covenant, and, just like other divine weapons, permanently kills skeletons. Defeating him when he invades you causes him to drop it as well as his shield, Sanctus. Will invade you even if you summoned him for the Pinwheel battle. Most other NPCs attack you because they've gone Hollow, but Leeroy is most likely aware of his actions (given that red phantom invaders must be in human form). He's a Paladin and a member of the Way of White covenant (its first Undead member, in fact) and he's blessed with two of the covenant's holy treasures (Grant and Sanctus). He also tries to kill you for unknown reasons without having gone Hollow. As the first Undead of the Way of White, it's likely that Leeroy has been around for longer than even Logan. Is not seen again after you defeat him when he invades you in the Tomb of the Giants. However, a corpse carrying his armor set is found in Nito's boss room, implying he failed to defeat the Gravelord. He invades you right before you can enter the tunnel leading to Nito's chamber, although it's unclear whether or not he intended to block your path. He can easily send unsuspecting players to their deaths should he use his Grant's special ability or Wrath of the Gods, which is made all the more easier since he spawns near a cliff overlooking the Ash Lake. Warrior of Sunlight A covenant comprising of the dedicated followers of the firstborn of the Great Lord Gwyn. They harness the power of sunlight, manifested as lightning powers. Similar to the Way of White, it is a covenant specialized in co-op multiplayer, altering the member's summon phantom colour to yellow and granting everyone a Sunlight Medal after defeating a boss, which they can use to progress further in the covenant's ranking. The Warriors of Sunlight are the only Covenant that makes an appearance in every game in the series with next to no changes (they were called the Heirs of the Sun in Dark Souls II, but that's the only real change to them). Even the Red Eye Invaders covenant changed from the Darkwraiths to the Brotherhood of Blood to Rosaria's Fingers. Fucked up so badly, he was stripped of his status, sent into exile, and even his name was removed from the records. There are several empty statue alcoves that may have once contained statues of him. Whatever he did really pissed off the gods. Dark Souls III all but states that the Nameless King was that firstborn, and was erased from the records due to siding with the dragons in the war. Solaire of Astora A knight from Astora who journeyed to Lordran on a personal quest to find his own inner Sun. The descriptions for all his equipment summarizes that all his combat prowess is from good, old-fashioned, rigorous training. No magical enchantment here! But only wearing the Sunlight maggot, otherwise he has his long hair neatly combed. His journey is all about finding his own personal Sun. He "gets" it when he's infected and possessed by a Sunlight Maggot. Alternatively, he links the Fire in his own world and becomes grossly incandescent. It often takes invading as a Darkwraith and running into a host with Solaire in tow for players to realize just how strong he can be, when he's not suffering from a bout of temporary stupidity. Also, unaware players who run into him in Lost Izalith are in for a nasty surprise. Solaire begins the game as a jolly knight with impressive combat capabilities, but as the game goes on, he becomes deeply depressed at his inability to find himself a Sun, and lets his guard down just long enough to get possessed and become murderous as a result. (Unless the player manages to find out how to save him, but even then he has become broken by his failure to complete his quest the last time you are able to find him.) His obsession with and innocent, wholehearted devotion to the sun is just as bizarre to everyone else he's met as to the player character, he's quick to reassure you. During your trip to Lost Izalith, it's possible to find Solaire, who is obsessed with finding his own personal sun, being possessed by a Sunlight Maggot. At least he dies happy. Subverted if he gets possessed, where you can see that he has blonde hair. It's up for debate which of his potential fates is worse — getting possessed by a parasite or linking the Fire, making him burn for eternity. Patches' opinion on Solaire — it's more than a little hard to disagree with him. His in-combat AI is remarkably spotty, proving to be a bona fide Cloudcuckoolander, standing cluelessly directly underneath a falling dragon or in a pit of boiling lava, slowly backing off just when the enemy's vulnerable, and deciding to stop and throw a lightning bolt at perhaps the worst possible time. On the other hand, the damage output he gets from that straightsword — with just one hand! — is impossible for a player of any soul level (only getting stronger in subsequent playthroughs), and he can have his face blasted with gargoyle fire breath, be chewed up and spat out by the Gaping Dragon, or stabbed and turned into a human lightning rod several times over by Ornstein, and often still remain standing with a little health left over. He and Reah are the most unambiguously good and nice characters in the game, though unlike Reah, he certainly isn't the brightest bulb in the box. Forest Hunter A covenant made up of warriors who stop at nothing to prevent intruders from desecrating Artorias' resting place in the Darkroot Forest. One of the earliest accessible PvP covenants. The covenant only cares about protecting Artorias' grave. Once you join the covenant the respawning enemies will lose interest in attacking you and will resume their duties. Alvina of the Darkroot Wood A large, grey-white, talking cat that resides in the Darkroot Woods. Allows the player to join the Forest Hunter Covenant. She is friends with the late Sir Artorias and his companion the Great Grey Wolf Sif, and considers the legend of Artotias's covenant with the Abyss naught but a fairy tale. She orders her Hunters to protect the forest and guard Artorias's gravesite. Shiva of the East A mysterious merchant from an unnamed country from the Far East, which is modeled on real-life Asia. Sells you his wares if you're a member of the Forest Hunter covenant. He has a ninja bodyguard. Shiva was supposed to be something similar to what happens with Lautrec: he would attack you if you either showed him the Chaos Blade — in an attempt to take it from you — or gave it to him, in an attempt to test it on a worthy opponent. This would also serve as a Call-Back to Demon's Souls, in which Master Satsuki would attack the player if they showed him the Magic Sword "Makoto" (or would attack them if they voluntarily handed it over to him). In addition, he was also supposed to be invaded with a Black Eye Orb (as with Lautrec); but instead of retrieving a Fire Keeper's Soul, you were to retrieve the Chaos Blade. He's a high-ranking officer in his covenant, and he's significantly stronger than the other forest hunter NPCs you fight in the Darkroot Garden. It's heavily implied that he died between the events of Dark Souls I and Dark Souls III, with the description of the Easterner's ashes enforcing this, describing the Easterner as a captain of a clan of hunters, which matches the description of the Forest Hunters and Shiva. In other words, he became the Deceased. Implied, but not revealed outright. Both Alvina and Patches don't trust him one bit, but nothing ever really comes of it. Chaos Servant A covenant dedicated to Quelaag's sister, a crippled woman with an equally crippled demonic spider for a lower body. Joining this covenant doesn't give you any PVP benefits, but instead some pyromancy spells and a shortcut to Lost Izalith. Giving enough humanities to Quelaag's sister opens a shortcut to Lost Izalith, allowing you to skip two bosses in the Demon Ruins, go straight to fight the Bed of Chaos, and kill the Chaos Bugs, preventing Solaire from being possessed by one. This covenant gives some of the more advanced pyromancies, one upon joining it, one upon progressing far enough in the ranking, and two more sold by Eingyi. Quelaag's Sister/The Fair Lady/Daughter of Chaos One of the seven Daughters of Chaos and sister of Quelaag the Chaos Witch and Quelana of Izalith. Found in a hidden room off of her sister's boss arena, alongside her servant Eingyi. Allows the player to join the Chaos Servant Covenant. In Dark Souls III, it becomes canon that she didn't remain alone after the end, whatever else the outcome. At some point after the first game, in this timeline, Quelana finally found the courage to head back home to be with her last remaining sister. You find their remains together. Awww — is it me, or is it dusty in here...? On top of being fused with a demonic spider in the distant past, she is also a Fire Keeper, which means she contains all the humanities poured into the bonfire she watches over. Despite being transformed into a half-demon by the Flames of Chaos and leading the Chaos Covenant, she is arguably the kindest and most selfless person in the game. For Quelaag, who ultimately uses the Bell of Awakening as an excuse to steal humanity from the undeads that come down to Blighttown to ring it. Speaks the Chaos Language instead of English/Common. You can understand her if you equip the Old Witch's Ring you chose as your Gift or by trading with Snuggly the Crow. Then proceed to kick yourself once you can understand her. Eingyi An egg-burdened pyromancer who serves the Daughter of Chaos. He was originally a resident of the Great Swamp, but was cast out as a heretic for inventing the Poison and Toxic Cloud pyromancies, but became dedicated to Quelaag's sister when she showed him her kindness. He is deeply distrustful of the player (unless the player is either egg-burdened themselves or is equipped with the Old Witch's Ring), but will tolerate them if they seek to ease the pain of his mistress. His loyalty and dedication to the Daughter of Chaos stems from the fact that she cured him of the Blight, at the cost of her own health. Is no different from the egg-burdened Undeads you find upon entering the Demon Ruins. Although he is pleased should the player become egg-burdened, he isn't afraid to inform them that their head looks "awful" as a result. Was considered a heretic by his peers in the Great Swamp for his less-than-social applications of pyromancy, on top of his Body Horror. He then becomes dedicated to Quelaag's sister after she sucked the blight pus from him, falling ill and powerless as a result. He invented the Poison and Toxic Cloud pyromancies, which led to his banishment from the Great Swamp on top of his blight pus problem. The player can learn them from him should they earn his trust. They basically turn you into as much fun as a basilisk at parties. Their meaner cousin, Acid Cloud, can be found locked up in the Painted World, if that's any indication about how well his research was received. And, you really can't fault him when you find out why he sticks by his mistress. He can't do much for her, but he's determined to at least make sure she's never lonely, however much he suffers to do it. Princess' Guard The guardians of Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight. They have recieved blessings from the princess herself, so that they may aid each other. This covenant is mostly for co-op purposes, with an additional focus on support Miracles (contrast the Warriors of Sunlight). Joining this covenant will allow the player to use two unique defensive miracles. The player will also receive a ring that boosts miracle synergy. The two miracles that can be used while belonging to this covenant have a rather high Faith requirement, and force your friendly phantoms to stay close to you in order to reap their benefits. Doubly so when the summoned players can just chug one humanity to heal themselves to full health. Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight Daughter of Gwyn, Queen of Sunlight, Princess of Anor Londo, and Keeper of the Lord Vessel. Allows the player to join the Princess's Guard Covenant. She gives you the means to further the quest given to you by Frampt, and is a vital figure to the gods of Anor Londo. Subverted in that the illusion is the "face" that is intended to legitimize the plan by Frampt and Gwyndolin to get someone to link the Fire and succeed Gwyn as its fuel. The description on the Sun Princess Ring in Dark Souls III reveals that after she abandoned Anor Londo to go across the seas, she gave birth to "several heavenly children." Of all the deities of Anor Londo seen in the game, she's definitely the prettiest. It's unclear how much this really resembles the true, unseen Gwynevere, since by nature it's a constructed illusion, and her hair color isn't anything like the silvery hair her father, her siblings (both known and all-but-certain), and her (likely) niece have. She's huge even by divine standards, easily half again as tall as her father and brother. It's your first hint that this isn't what it seems. She's even bigger than her sister Filianore! The Woman Behind The Man, Dark Souls III implies that she was this for the Kingdom of Lothric, given their obsession with creating an heir to Link the Fire, and that she is the mother of the Twin Princes. Though Subverted in that by the time the game starts, Prince Lothric has clearly ousted her from power. Blades of the Darkmoon A covenant that dedicates itself to hunting sinners throughout Lordran. Their base of operation lies in Anor Londo, where their leader Gwyndolin resides as well. Progressing in this covenant requires you to offer Souvenirs of Reprisal, which are mostly obtained from killing sinners. In addition to invading those who committed sins, they also get summoned by Gwyndolin to kill and silence those who see the true state of Anor Londo. The entire covenant is also being used by Gwyndolin as his own personal hit squad on anyone who isn't fooled by his illusions, whether they've actually sinned or not. It's strongly hinted in-game that the Darkmoon was dedicated to Velka in its inception: the red soapstone may have been its actual method of invasion, just as its her pardoners you need to seek names from by getting hold of her book. Dark Sun Gwyndolin The lastborn son of Gwyn and guardian of Anor Londo. Born a Moon Sorcerer, he was raised like a daughter and has a feminine appearance as a result. Allows the player to join the Blade of the Darkmoon Covenant. Really hard to say if he's good, bad, or somewhere in between. At best, he's an Anti-Hero who knows sacrifices have to be made, at worst a Manipulative Bastard intending to keep the Age of Fire going indefinitely. There is also a possible side bet on just plain bonkers, if in a sort-of functional way. For a certain definition thereof. Later lore in Dark Souls III suggest he was verging closer to I Did What I Had to Do with a lot of And I Must Scream. Continues his father's instructions to prevent the waning of the Age of Fire, intending for Undead to further fuel the First Flame. A somewhat darker example. Gwyndolin's affinity for the Moon meant that he was raised as female, complete with a ring that forced him to move and act like a woman. The ring's description in turn, implies that he did not like it at all. Has deathly pale skin, long wavy hair, and dark lips, befitting of a character Raised as the Opposite Gender. His character model also has breasts, though that may just be padding—what's left of him in III is a bit more masculine-bodied. Gwyndolin does whatever it takes to preserve his father's legacy, even when almost all the gods are gone. Sadly, this respect seems not to be reciprocated. Judging by one of the item description in III, Gwyndolin actually identifies as male, but still dresses as a woman simply because his father wanted him to, even long after Gwyn left. In Dark Souls III Gwyndolin is devoured by Aldrich and used as a body puppet to fight the player. There are some in-game indications that Gwyndolin is still alive and conscious but not in control of his body at all. This is serious This example contains a YMMV entry. It should be moved to the YMMV tab.Nightmare Fuel when you consider he could have been in this position for hundreds or thousands of years. Gwyndolin considers himself "repulsive". While we can't actually see his face and his snake feet are rather disturbing (and some people might find his enforced femininity disconcerting in a male character), it's hard to call him "ugly" by any stretch. It's likely self-loathing at not measuring up to his father's standards of masculine strength. It is all but stated that Gwyndolin was never really accepted by Daddy for who he was, and as he is the only remaining god in Anor Londo, he is, to all intents and purposes, the actual ruler of the place; Gwyn would never see him as a worthy heir, however, regardless of how much work Gwyndolin has put into trying to maintain Gwyn's legacy. It's obvious that Gwyndolin has a deep reverence for his father and is entirely devoted to prolonging the Age of Fire for as long as possible. Too bad Gwyn didn't seem to feel the same. Lady of the Darkling / Darkmoon Knightess Servant of Gwyndolin, a member of the Blade of the Darkmoon, and the Fire Keeper for the first bonfire found in Anor Londo. Serves Gwyndolin because he accepted her as a follower despite her hideous appearance and gave her a suit of armor to hide her Undead form. She won't like it one bit if you choose to kill Gwynevere and/or Gwyndolin. Her jewel-encrusted brass armor, which was at one point going to be one of the starter armor sets. In Dark Souls III, a corpse that may or may not be hers can be found in Gwyndolin's old chamber that you can loot her brass armour set from. Darkwraith A covenant comprising of the dreaded knights who were sealed in the New Londo Ruins, led by Darkstalker Kaathe. The premier covenant for invading other players. Progressing in this covenant requires liquid humanity, which can be obtained through various means, although this covenant makes it easier to obtain some through invading. Gravelord Servant A group of rogue Undeads who worship the Gravelord himself, and spread misery throughout other worlds. One of the more elusive covenants, and one dedicated to increasing the difficulty of enemy NPCs for players around the same level. Progressing in this covenant requires obtaning Eyes of Death from invaders who try to kill the Plague Master or from the Basilisks. This quick video helpfully showcases all the perks (and annoyances) of Gravelords. Upon joining his covenant, you are immediately rewarded with Nito's signature Gravelord Sword. If done right, it can potentially become a long-lasting Disc-One Nuke. Path of the Dragon A covenant found in the deepest parts of the Ash Lake, where a descendant of the Everlasting Dragons lives. Usually dedicated for honorable duels, with the reward for such a duel being the elusive dragon scales, which are necessary for progressing in the covenant or upgrading dragon-type weapons. Members of the covenant can use the Dragon Stones to turn into a dragon. By becoming a dragon, you receive a pair of claws for unarmed combat, as well as the ability to breath fire and a roar that can stagger your foes. However, in order to turn back into a human, you have to die either as a phantom, which turns you back into a human, or to die in your own world, which turns you into a hollow. Everlasting Dragon One of the few remaining descendants of the ancient stone dragons, a whelp stuck in the Ash Lake. Allows the player to join the Path of the Dragon Covenant. Takes no action if the player decides to cut off his tail for the Dragon Greatsword and still allows the player to join his Covenant afterwards. The cutting also does not break Covenant if the player has already joined. Granted, he's possibly rooted in place by the archtrees and therefore harmless. This example contains a TRIVIA entry. It should be moved to the TRIVIA tab.It's been revealed that due to the Dragons being akin to elemental spirits inhabiting constructed bodies, it losing its tail isn't exactly that big of a deal, as it can reconstruct it. It's an actual Everlasting Dragon still alive thousands of years after they were supposed to have been wiped out with the exception of Seath (and hundreds of years after Kalameet was slain in the DLC). Not only is it not plot-relevant at all, it's never mentioned again (and the matter is muddied further by several other "extinct" dragons showing up later in the series like Sinh the Slumbering Dragon, the Nameless King's mount, and Darkeater Midir).